City Light Bible Church Sermons

This week we discussed a biblical perspective on marriage roles and responsibilities. Colossians 3:18-19 makes it clear that wives are to submit to and respect their husbands with a gentle and quiet spirit and husbands are to sacrificially love their wives as Christ loves the Church.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Listen as Pastor Chris expands on these roles and explains that marriage is intended to glorify God...

Colossians 3:15-17 proposes a life mission statement based on three components: living with others in the peace of Christ, immersing oneself in the Word of Christ, and doing everything in the name of Christ. Listen as Pastor Chris emphasizes living out this statement through pursuing unity and thankfulness in the church body, integrating Scripture deeply into our lives, and living in a way that is...

This week we discussed how to love an imperfect, and sometimes disappointing, church. Colossians 3:12-14 shows us that we can do this by embracing our Gospel-centered identity as God's chosen, holy, and beloved ones, which empowers us to put on Gospel-driven character qualities such as compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and forgiveness. Listen as Pastor Chris encourages us to look...

In the biblical account of Jesus healing the demon-possessed man in Gerasenes, we see that Jesus has power over not only the natural world but also the supernatural world. Jesus uses His power to liberate and restore those who are broken, transforming them into something even better than they were before so that they can proclaim the Gospel and tell others of God's mercy in their lives. Listen as...

Colossians 3:5-11 exhorts believers to put to death sinful desires and actions such as sexual immorality, anger, and lying. This passage reminds us that through faith in Christ we have died to our old sinful nature and are raised to new life in Him. As we are renewed in the knowledge of Christ, we should live in a manner consistent with our new identity in Him. Listen as Pastor Chris reminds us of...

The final two chapters of Colossians pivot the focus from theological knowledge to practical Christian living. This week we looked at Colossians 3:1-4, a passage that calls believers to set their minds on the things of heaven, remaining focused on Christ and the future glory that awaits. Listen as Pastor Chris discusses practical ways to maintain an eternal perspective and live with a purified hea...

This week we looked at three types of false teaching that were threatening the church in Colossae and remain a threat today: legalism, mysticism, and asceticism. The things offered by each of these teachings pale in comparison to the truth, spiritual growth, and internal transformation that are found in Jesus. Listen as Pastor Chris warns against these false teachings and exhorts the church to pur...

This Easter Sunday, we explored four powerful pictures of salvation seen in Colossians 2:11-15: heart transformation, spiritual resurrection, debt cancellation, and victory celebration. This message is a call to celebrate our salvation but even more to rejoice in our great Savior Jesus Christ who secured this salvation through His death and resurrection. If you need a reminder of who our great Sav...

In Colossians 2:6 the apostle Paul encourages us to walk in Christ Jesus. This walk must begin by receiving the free gift of salvation and must be motivated by Christ Himself. Our spiritual walk should be defined by being rooted in and building on Christ, established in faith, and abounding in thanksgiving. Listen as Pastor Chris expounds on how to successfully complete this spiritual journey and...

Burn out is a problem seen too often in the midst of Christian ministry. In Colossians 2:2, Paul expresses a desire for the hearts of the Colossians to be encouraged, not discouraged and burned out. So, how do we avoid this common pitfall? Listen as Pastor Chris outlines three essential ways and encourages us to maintain the mindset that the ultimate purpose of our ministry is to glorify Jesus.

We finished up our mini-series on Christian ministry by looking at John the Baptist. By studying his ministry, we learned three important steps we can take to imitate him: we must know our purpose is ultimately to point to Christ, we must rejoice in that purpose, and we must work to fulfill that purpose by putting Jesus on display in all aspects of our lives. Listen as Pastor Chris challenges us t...

This week we continued our discussion of Christian ministry in Colossians chapter one. The goal of Christian ministry is to help others reach spiritual maturity by proclaiming Christ through warning against sinful conduct and teaching the Word of God. Christian ministry requires effort so we must stay connected to Christ and rely on His power to sustain us, not our own. Listen as Pastor Chris enco...

This week we began a three-part series within our Colossians study that will look more in-depth at church ministry. We see in Colossians 1:24-27 that church ministry is hard work and in ministering to others we open ourselves up to suffering and persecution. But, we persevere by relying on God’s power to work through us, knowing that the ultimate goal of our efforts is to make the message of the G...

This week we looked at Colossians 1:19-23 and discussed how God brought reconciliation between Himself and sinful men and how God will bring reconciliation to our broken universe. In the time before the Fall, God’s creation and mankind were perfect, but now we live in a fallen and fractured universe, groaning for its return to perfection at the second coming. For those who follow God, Christ’s dea...

This week we took a deep look at the unrivaled supremacy of Jesus. Colossians 1:15-18 gives us three evidences that Jesus is absolutely Supreme: Jesus is God, Jesus is Creator, and Jesus is Lord. He is over all creation, Sustainer of all things, the Head of the Church, and the One who should be glorified by everyone and everything. Listen as Pastor Chris presents this truth and challenges us to re...

Colossians 1:12 introduces the idea that we are qualified by our Heavenly Father to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. But, how is that possible? The following two verses provide us with the answer: God rescued us from the domain of darkness through the sacrifice of His Beloved Son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. This rescue was necessary, complete, costly, a...

As we continued our series in Colossians, we looked at how Paul consistently prayed for the saints of Colossae. Using Paul’s example, Pastor Chris outlined four ways that we, too, can be praying for other Christians: for increased knowledge of the Bible and of God, that their knowledge will lead to holy living, that they will depend on God’s strength in trials, and that they will maintain a heaven...

The Gospel is no ordinary message. It is a global, grace-filled message about a grace-filled Savior bringing spiritual resurrection to a broken world. It is a message of absolute, verifiable truth. Do you treasure the Gospel and does your love for it motivate you to share this message? Listen as Pastor Chris preaches through Colossians 1:6-8 and uses these verses as motivation to thank God for the...

As we kicked off our series on the book of Colossians this week, Pastor Chris outlined seven key words found in Colossians 1:1-5 that describe a successful church: separation, family, thanksgiving, faith, love, hope, and Gospel. Listen to learn more about these traits of a successful, biblical church. 

The Old Testament provides the backstory to the hope we have today in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This week, Elliot walked us through that backstory in Genesis chapters 3-5 as a play in four acts: disobedience, death, descent, and more death. While these acts may not seem hopeful by title alone, the story woven throughout these acts reveal how God fulfilled His promise for a Deliverer to defeat th...

1 Peter 1:13-16 provides us with three commands to follow: consider your future hope in Jesus’ return, abandon your past life, and imitate your Holy Father. As we begin a new year, Pastor Chris challenged us to take one of these commands and make it our New Year’s resolution. Listen as he discusses how to get this year started on the right foot by living out what it means to be a new creation in J...

As we celebrated Christmas Eve this Sunday, we wrapped up our Christmas series by focusing on Christ’s crucifixion - without Jesus’ death, there would be no reason to celebrate His birth. This baby who was born in a manger was rejected, betrayed, and despised. He was crucified for our sins, not His own, so that He could bear our pain and bring us hope of spending eternity with Him. Listen as Pasto...

The Christmas season is a wonderful time of rejoicing in the miracle of Jesus’ birth and its significance. Jesus' first coming, marked by wisdom, the fear of God, and righteousness, foreshadows His second coming when He will establish his Kingdom. This week, Pastor Chris discussed how the prophecies found in Isaiah 11 provide us with key descriptions of Jesus’ Kingdom and His eternal reign. Listen...

We had the privilege of hearing from our worship leader, Kyle DeGuzman, to close out our series on corporate worship. In Colossians 3:16, Paul gives us specific criteria for the songs we should sing: songs that proclaim, dwell on, and teach the message of Christ. Singing Gospel-rich songs together will unite us and help us to grow hearts of thankfulness for Jesus’ sacrifice. May this message cause...

Corporate singing is a typical part of our Sunday mornings, but why is this such an important aspect of our gatherings? This week Pastor Chris preached part one of a two-part series answering the question of why we sing. Singing is a unifying command that is seen many times in the Bible that allows us to glorify God, remember His truth, and engage our emotions in a God-honoring way. Listen to lear...